# Lower Teesdale

South County Durham. About 8,427 people (mid-2024 estimate) in 156 square kilometres.

Lower Teesdale had 8,230 usual residents at the census (ONS Census 2021).

Ward. Code E05016182. In: [North East](https://openindex.co.uk/north-east) › [County Durham](https://openindex.co.uk/county-durham)

## Key figures

- **Population: 8,230** (2021). Lower Teesdale had 8,230 usual residents at the census (ONS Census 2021). 3,290th most populated of 8,397. Source: Census 2021, England and Wales and Scotland's Census 2022 and Census 2021, Northern Ireland, 2021. Published 21 July 2026. https://openindex.co.uk/county-durham/ward/lower-teesdale#f-population
- **People in radon Affected Area squares: 87%** (2022). About 87% of people in Lower Teesdale live in a 1 km square that the radon atlas marks as a radon Affected Area. UK 44%. Source: Worked out by Open Index from the UKHSA and BGS radon atlas and census output areas. Published 1 December 2022. https://openindex.co.uk/county-durham/ward/lower-teesdale#f-radon-affected-share
- **Gigabit broadband coverage: 80.6%** (January 2026). In Lower Teesdale, 80.6% of homes and businesses could get gigabit-capable broadband in January 2026 (Ofcom). UK 87.8%. Source: Connected Nations (Ofcom), January 2026. Published 13 May 2026. https://openindex.co.uk/county-durham/ward/lower-teesdale#f-gigabit-coverage
- **Claimant rate: 2.1%** (August 2026). In Lower Teesdale, 2.1% of residents aged 16 to 64 were claiming out-of-work benefits in August 2026 (ONS via Nomis). UK 3.9%. Source: Claimant count (Nomis), August 2026. Published 15 September 2026. https://openindex.co.uk/county-durham/ward/lower-teesdale#f-claimant-rate

## On the map

- [Radon Affected Area by ward](https://openindex.co.uk/map/radon-affected-areas#place=E05016182) (Worked out by Open Index · 2022): About 87% of people in Lower Teesdale live in a 1 km square that the radon atlas marks as a radon Affected Area.
- [Average house price by council](https://openindex.co.uk/map/house-prices#place=E05016182) (UK House Price Index · August 2026): Published for whole councils, so the map colours all of County Durham. The outline is Lower Teesdale.
- [Crime and ASB by ward](https://openindex.co.uk/map/recorded-crime#place=E05016182) (Police recorded crime and outcomes (data.police.uk) · August 2026): Crime and anti-social behaviour for Lower Teesdale.
- [Population by ward](https://openindex.co.uk/map/population#place=E05016182) (Census 2021, England and Wales): Lower Teesdale had 8,230 usual residents at the census.

## How Lower Teesdale compares

Each ward against every other ward the measure covers.

| Measure | Lower Teesdale | Rank | Compared with |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Population | 8,230 | 14th least populated | 51 wards, County Durham · 2021 |
| People in radon Affected Area squares | 87% | 12th most people in radon Affected Areas | 51 wards, County Durham · 2022 |
| Gigabit broadband coverage | 80.6% | 12th lowest | 51 wards, County Durham · Jan 2026 |
| Claimant rate | 2.1% | joint 8th lowest | 51 wards, County Durham · Aug 2026 |

## Is Lower Teesdale safe? What police records show

In the 12 months to August 2026, police recorded crimes and anti-social behaviour in Lower Teesdale at a rate of 82.1 per 1,000 people.
That compares with 120.3 per 1,000 people across County Durham.
Across England as a whole, the recorded crime rate was 96.3 per 1,000 people.
In August 2026 alone, 77 cases of crime and anti-social behaviour were recorded in Lower Teesdale.
In the 12 months to August 2026, the most common types were violence and sexual offences (264), other crime (202) and anti-social behaviour (88).
Worked out by Open Index from police.uk crime records and ONS and NISRA population estimates.
Rates are per resident, so places that many people work in or visit, such as Westminster, the City of London and other city centres, have far higher rates than their residents alone would suggest.

## Figures for the whole of County Durham

These figures are published for the whole of County Durham, not for each ward, so they describe all of County Durham and not Lower Teesdale alone. [See County Durham](https://openindex.co.uk/county-durham)

- **Average house price: £140,788** (August 2026). County Durham’s average house price was £140,788 in August 2026 (HM Land Registry). Up 4.9% in a year. Source: UK House Price Index, August 2026. Published 21 October 2026.
- **Median full-time pay: £33,436** (2025). Full-time workers living in County Durham earned a median of £33,436 in 2025 (ONS earnings survey). 23rd lowest paid of 348. Source: Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, 2025. Published 23 October 2025.
- **House price to pay: 4.2×** (2025). A home in County Durham costs 4.2 times local full-time pay. Joint 15th most affordable of 348. Source: Worked out by Open Index from the UK House Price Index and the ONS earnings survey. Published 21 October 2026.
- **Deprivation score: 28.8** (2025). County Durham has a deprivation score of 28.8 in the English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG). Joint 48th most deprived of 296. Source: English Indices of Deprivation 2025, 2025. Published 30 October 2025.

## Lower Teesdale in brief

Lower Teesdale had 8,230 usual residents at the census.
About 87% of people in Lower Teesdale live in a 1 km square that the radon atlas marks as a radon Affected Area.
In Lower Teesdale, 80.6% of homes and businesses could get gigabit-capable broadband in January 2026.
In Lower Teesdale, 2.1% of residents aged 16 to 64 were claiming out-of-work benefits in August 2026.

## About

- Type: Ward
- Code: E05016182
- Constituency: [Bishop Auckland †](https://openindex.co.uk/constituency/bishop-auckland)
- Council: [County Durham](https://openindex.co.uk/county-durham)
- Region: [North East](https://openindex.co.uk/north-east)
- Nation: [England](https://openindex.co.uk/england)
- Area: 156 km²
- People, mid-2024: 8,427*
- Neighbourhoods: 4
- Output areas: 32

* People: worked out by Open Index from neighbourhood estimates, shared out by where people lived at the census (by area in Northern Ireland). This area's edges do not follow neighbourhood edges, so the figure is close but not exact.
† Best fit: the constituency this ward mostly lies in. Its edges do not follow it.

## Next door

[Upper Teesdale](https://openindex.co.uk/county-durham/ward/upper-teesdale), [Evenwood](https://openindex.co.uk/county-durham/ward/evenwood), [North Richmondshire](https://openindex.co.uk/north-yorkshire/ward/north-richmondshire), [Heighington & Coniscliffe](https://openindex.co.uk/darlington/ward/heighington-and-coniscliffe), [Barnard Castle](https://openindex.co.uk/county-durham/ward/barnard-castle)

## Latest updates for Lower Teesdale

- August 2026 house prices published: HM Land Registry and partners · Oct 2026.
- September 2026 rent published: ONS private rents · Oct 2026.
- Dental practices updated: NHS England · Oct 2026.
- Schools updated: Ofsted · Oct 2026.

The same figures as JSON: https://openindex.co.uk/v1/places/E05016182

## How to cite

Source: Open Index, openindex.co.uk. Link to this page, https://openindex.co.uk/county-durham/ward/lower-teesdale, or to one figure with its anchor, https://openindex.co.uk/county-durham/ward/lower-teesdale#f-population.

Open Index's own text and the figures it works out are licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Source data keeps its publishers' licences, named with each figure. Give each figure's period and source with it.

Snapshot 2026.10.11. The HTML page: https://openindex.co.uk/county-durham/ward/lower-teesdale